Embracing the Power and Potential of Women: The Women's Network
Graphic by Jessica Chen
During her freshman year at Syracuse University, Jamie Vinick attended a speaker meeting where a powerful woman in finance had come to speak about the nuances of her career. “I was so excited — it was an opportunity for me as a freshman to hear about what it was like to successfully ascend in such a male-dominated sphere,” Vinick told STITCH via phone. “I wanted to learn from her and hear about the triumphs, obstacles and biases she had faced.”
She left the meeting feeling defeated as the topic that most interested her — gender equality in the workplace — was barely mentioned. “That’s when I realized that gender disparity at work was a taboo subject that people felt uncomfortable discussing,” recalls Vinick.
She decided to see if she could drum up some interest in the topic herself. She scheduled a meeting and set out on campus to find like-minded women who might be interested in attending. “After knocking on over 1,000 doors and posting flyers all around campus to spread the word, I was expecting around 20 women at our first meeting,” Vinick says. “More than 180 turned out. That will always remain one of my most memorable nights.”
Jamie Vinick, founder of TWN. Image via Syracuse University.
Thus began The Women’s Network (TWN), a national networking organization that seeks to connect ambitious women on college campuses with one another and offer them opportunities for personal and professional growth. TWN recognizes that women harbor diverse ambitions and seeks to engage women from all academic and professional backgrounds. It has succeeded in bridging the gap between interdisciplinary woman-identified students by creating the common denominator of women supporting women.
“TWN is not pigeonholed into one career path and because it is an umbrella of a bunch of different interests, there is no pressure to know what you want to do with your future,” says freshman Lauren Huttner, a member of Northwestern’s chapter of TWN. “It’s nice because I feel comfortable not knowing everything.”
Image via The Women’s Network
Since its founding in 2017, TWN has expanded to over 42 college campuses and has over 21,000 national members. Now, TWN is launching at Northwestern this February.
“I am ecstatic that women across the Northwestern campus will have the opportunity to join TWN, connect with high-achieving members — both on their campus and around the nation — and build skill sets that will enable them to achieve great success in their careers and lives,” Vinick says.
At the national level, the organization hosts a range of workshops, speakers and panel discussions for its members in the 42 chapters.
“The goal is to diversify the workplace and get more women into positions of power,” she says. To achieve this mission, each TWN meeting tackles a different theme. Previous discussion topics include overcoming barriers in the workplace, managing imposter syndrome, effectively negotiating your salary and earning internships and scholarships. “This organization allows young women to learn about gender-related issues and biases and provides them with the skills to overcome them,” says Vinick.
Image via The Women’s Network
There are several women’s organizations already established on NU’s campus, but there has never been one quite like this. TWN is a non-competitive community grounded in values of support, inclusivity and equal opportunity. There are no dues and all you have to do to become a member is fill out a simple interest form.
Northwestern’s student population is hardworking and driven, with most undergraduates pursuing male-dominated majors. “Many of the all-women professional circles at Northwestern can be intense and intimidating” says Huttner, “there’s a big culture of competition, especially in traditional business networks like finance and consulting.”
“Although campus organizations might exist to create community, the nature and set up of certain industries makes fostering collaboration difficult” says Huttner, “TWN understands and addresses that and that’s why it is appealing to me.”
With already 460 NU members, The Women’s Network aspires to fill a need for female empowerment on Northwestern’s campus. It’s an organization that is all about celebrating ambition and encouraging women to support each other in achieving their goals. “At TWN we’re all passionate about moving ourselves forward and I think that that’s really powerful,” says Huttner, “I’m excited to meet people who are as driven as I am.”
“Women are no longer holding back, and I want to be part of this change of mindset in which women believe they can rise to senior leadership positions even in traditionally male-dominated industries,” said Vinick in an interview with Mary Horsington of Syracuse University.
“This is just the beginning,” she says. “As we continue to expand, our hope is to positively touch the lives of hundreds and thousands of students within the next few years.”
Amber Cohon, President of TWN-Northwestern